Behind
by Usami
Summary: /pending Subspace Emissary/ He was always just one step behind his older brother. But maybe, this time, it wasn't such a bad thing.


I'm not going to lie: I thought Brawl was pretty amazing. It's just such a great game, and the Subspace Emissary story was especially cool to play.

That's not to say there aren't any problems with it, though. I was a bit upset when Mario and Luigi had absolutely no interaction time throughout the entire story. I really thought they could have put something in about the brothers...I mean, really, would it have been so hard?

So of course, I decided to do something about it. And here it is. Please go easy on me, for this (and another story I've just posted up) is the first time I've attempted to write a Super Smash Bros. story. I hope it's all right. Anyway, enjoy.

**Behind**

He was having a hard time breathing. His lungs struggled to find precious air, resulting in raspy wheezes that escaped his dry throat. But he wasn't sure if the problem was because of the intense pressure that weighed down on his body…or the terror that gripped his chest.

_He called himself…Taboo…_

_He's like nothing I'd ever seen before._

_He took out Master Hand like it was nothing!_

Luigi shuddered suddenly, glancing around the emptiness of the Subspace. He just couldn't believe that, somewhere within this vast dimensional vortex, there was someone powerful enough to defeat Master Hand with a single blow, and transform all the heroes into lifeless trophies.

And that meant that somewhere in all this mess, his brother was…

"Hey!" a voice suddenly called out, echoing in the darkness. "You coming or what?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, the green-clad plumber looked up to see his companions were farther ahead, waiting for him on an upper platform. Shaking his head, he quickly ran forward to catch up to them.

In all honesty, he was glad that he wasn't alone here. If he had to travel through Subspace, he was grateful for the allies he was with that formed their strange little group. He was especially glad for a familiar face during this crazy adventure; even though he didn't know Ness very well, he had to admit that he admired the kid's courage during this whole event. When he was Ness's age, he knew he was nowhere near as brave as that.

And the more time they spent on this journey together, the more he realized that, despite his apprehensions at first, King Dedede wasn't actually so bad. He was glad for the penguin's constant assistance; like in this case, when even his highest jumps wouldn't help him reach the platform above him. Luckily, as he was starting to descend, Dedede's mallet shot out, and he grabbed hold of it.

"Thanks," Luigi said as Dedede pulled him up onto the level.

"No problem," the giant penguin replied, twisting his mallet as he looked around. "Any idea where we go from here?"

"I think I see another trophy over there," Ness said, pointing up and straight ahead.

Following the boy's direction, Luigi soon found another platform where a golden trophy stand glittered even in the darkness. And though the trophy was knocked on its side, and the distance and shadows concealed most of the trophy's identity, his body still stiffened with recognition.

"Mario…" he murmured.

His two teammates turned to him. "You say something?" Dedede asked.

"It's my brother," he said, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. "It's Mario…"

"How can you tell from here?" Ness wondered.

Luigi shrugged. "I just…can."

Dedede grinned and rolled up his sleeves. "So what are we waiting for? Let's get going!"

Ness and Luigi watched as the penguin waddled on ahead of them. Then they glanced at each other, and with a shrug, the small boy followed after. With a shaky sigh, Luigi rushed on behind them.

The three of them jumped up onto the platform, facing the Mario statue that stared at them with cold, lifeless eyes. Luigi's stomach twisted painfully, and he was having trouble breathing again.

How…? How could this happen…to _Mario_, of all people?

"Well?" Dedede said.

Blinking, Luigi looked at him curiously.

Pointing to the statue, the self-appointed king said, "What are you waiting for?"

"Oh…" Scratching the back of his head, the plumber glanced at Ness, who gave him an encouraging nod. Then, with a deep breath and trembling hand, he gently tapped the golden trophy base. It began to glow, pushing back the darkness and melting away the stone that encased his brother.

When the base disappeared, so did its light, and Mario slowly sat up and rubbed the back of his head. "Mama Mia…" he groaned.

Relief swept through Luigi's body, weakening his legs and forcing himself onto his knees. "Thank goodness…" he breathed.

Blinking his eyes open, the red-clad hero turned in surprise. "Luigi?" he asked with wide eyes. "What…what are you doing here?"

He could have told his brother what happened; he could have explained how he was turned into a trophy, and how he woke up in a castle already lost in the chaotic Subspace. But instead, he just shrugged and replied, "You know me, Bro. I'm always one step behind you."

Slowly getting to his feet, Mario then helped his younger brother stand. Looking around, he finally noticed the young boy standing beside the green one. "Ness?" he asked.

"Long time no see, Mario," the child said.

"Oh yeah…Lucas said he'd been looking for you." The older plumber paused as remembrance dawned on him. "The others! Where are they?"

"We freed some of them already," Dedede answered. "But we're still looking for everyone else."

Startled at first by the extra voice, the red-clad hero then looked at the penguin king with narrow eyes. "You…!" he hissed, his fists raised in a fighting stance.

Dedede held his mallet in front of himself, ready to defend, but Luigi and Ness stepped between them. "Hold on, Mario!" the younger brother said. "Dedede's been helping us!"

Mario frowned, watching the penguin warily. "Helping you?"

"It's true," Ness added. "The three of us have been looking for all the others' trophies after Taboo separated you guys."

Finally dropping his guard, the red plumber blinked curiously. "How'd you know about that? You guys weren't even there."

"We've heard about it from some of the ones we already freed," Dedede said, resting the large end of his mallet in the ground. "Then they went to find Taboo again, and we're still looking for the other trophies."

Mario glanced at his brother, who now stood behind the other two. Though Luigi tried his best to hide it, he could still tell by Luigi's trembling hands that his brother was scared. "How many have you found so far?" he asked, turning back to look at the two.

"I think there are still a lot of people we need to find," Ness said.

Nodding absentmindedly, Mario took one more glance at Luigi. "Okay…I'll come with you guys and help you look for the others."

As Dedede and Ness started naming the people they've already saved, Luigi clenched his fists. He knew the _real_ reason that Mario was offering to come with them…It was always Big Brother coming to help Little Brother. And it was true that he always felt better…braver when Mario was with him, and though he appreciated what Mario was doing for him…he knew better.

He knew this time…he couldn't accept it.

"No."

His voice was soft, yet the word was still heard by his companions. The three of them turned towards him, looking at him curiously. "What?" Mario asked.

Pushing up the bill of his hat, Luigi inhaled deeply as he caught his brother's eyes. "I-I…don't think it's a good idea for you to come with us," he said softly.

Mario blinked, slowly approaching his brother. "Why not?"

"The ones…that we've already freed…" Luigi began gingerly, gesturing to the darkness around them, "they've already gone ahead to find Taboo. But…you know how strong he is, and he might keep getting stronger. If the others _do _find him…they're gonna need you more than we are."

The elder frowned. Though Luigi was still trembling…even though he was still scared…the look in his eyes made it clear that he meant what he said. "What about you?" he wondered.

Hesitating for a moment, Luigi glanced at his two teammates, who also seemed to wait for a reply. Looking back at Mario, he managed a small smile. "We'll try to find the other trophies, and then we'll meet up with you at the end…"

The concern never left Mario's eyes. "You're sure about this, Luigi?"

The green one nodded. "I'm sure. Don't worry about me, Mario. I'll be right behind you."

At that, Mario couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "Okay," he finally replied. Turning to Ness and Dedede, he said, "Good luck, you guys."

"You too," Ness said.

"Don't worry about a thing," Dedede said, hoisting his mallet over his shoulder. "We got it all covered here."

Nodding, Mario once again looked up at the younger brother, resting a hand on the other's shoulder. "Be careful, Little Brother," he said.

Luigi swallowed thickly, trying hard not to look away. "You too, Big Brother," he answered.

With a reassuring squeeze, Mario dropped his hand before turning away, heading off and disappearing into the dark emptiness of Subspace.

The three of them watched him depart, the silent pressure pounding in their ears. Then Ness turned to Luigi. "You gonna be okay?" he asked.

The plumber nodded, slipping his still-shaking hands into his pockets. "Yeah…I'll be fine."

"We better get going," Dedede stated. "We still got people to save." Then the penguin puffed himself up, leading them on as he flew a bit ahead of them. Ness followed, jumping up and using his powers to levitate after the king. Luigi waited for a moment, then finally jumped up and trailed along behind them.

**The End**


End file.
